Hot topics this week have included India's ruling on genetically modified aubergines, Tesla's surprisingly sexy Roadster Sport and personal investment in solar PV (photovoltaic panels). I also highly recommend the discussion on the US climate monitoring information service.
Debate of the week
ingtaillemur: GMOs... are more environmentally friendly because they reduce the need for a broad range of pesticides
discogsfred: GMOs shouldn't be released into the environment since there is not adequate scientific understanding of their impact on wider biodiversity and human health. Anyone who claims otherwise is either lying or stupid
littlepump: The real issue is about control of the food system and asymmetries of power relations between huge Monsanto like corporations and poor farmers
Rotwatcher: educating farmers to farm sustainably, and helping them with basic infrastructure items such as water supply, and giving them a fair crack of the market, are all more likely to help in the long run
If you only read one thread ...
US climate monitoring information service gets go-ahead in Washington
Best comment
Tesla's Roadster Sport saves the electric car
MoTech: The thing that drives me mad about this car [the Tesla Roadster Sport] is that, we, in Britain could have been world leaders in electric car technology. When Clive Sinclair launched the C5 in 84 he was laughed at, and not congratulated as new cars inventors are now. Can you imagine where we would be now with 25 years of experience and development.
Made me smile
Monkeybiz: "This is junk science designed to scare us all and steal from us through the insidious "deep pond" taxes while Al Toad makes zillions of dollars in profits from his duckweed investments for biofuels.
Yours objectively "Idon'tbelieveinponds"
Elsewhere on the web
Conversations on solar PV (photovoltaic) panels continued on Facebook, with Mridul from India telling us of hopes that their National Solar Mission "which aims to provide $100bn in subsidies over the next 10-15 years for installation of 20,000 MW of solar power" will be commercially successful.
